Method of and means for dampening transmission of shock and vibration impulses alongcontinuously moving web



March 22, 1966 w, HUFFMAN ,241,411

METHOD OF AND MEANS FOR DAMPENING TRANSMISSION OF SHOCK AND VIBRATION IMPULSES ALONG GONTINUOUSLY MOVING WEB Filed May 4, 1960 IN V EN TOR.

HA ROL D W. HUFFMAN BY ATTOR United States Patent 3,241,411 METHOD OF AND MEANS FOR DAMPENING TRANSMISSION OF SHOCK AND VIBRA- TION IMPULSES ALONG CONTINUOUSLY MOVING WEB Harold W. Huffman, Hamilton, Ohio, assiguor to The Hamilton Tool Company, Hamilton, Ohio, at corporation of Ohio Filed May 4, 1960, Ser. No. 26,765 11 Claims. (CI. 8339) This invention relates to improvements in the art of web punching and perforating by the continuous high speed process. One of many uses for the process and apparatus herein disclosed is related to the manufacture of continuous register forms, a popular and typical example of which is illustrated upon the drawing.

For the proper and reliable operation of complex machines which handle punched and perforated webs, it is imperative that the punchings and perforations be very accurately located upon the web. Continuously operative automatic machinery for producing the forms has often failed for various reasons to maintain the required accuracy above mentioned, with the result that rejects in the manufacture of the forms was commonplace. One object of the invention is to provide an improved method and apparatus for the production of punched and perforated forms by the continuously moving web process, whereby is maintained great accuracy in locating the punchings and perforations relatively upon the web carrying the forms.

Another object is to provide simple and inexpensive means for the accomplishment of the objective stated, characterized further by durability and serviceability of a high order so that the apparatus employed will operate continuously without interruption or frequent servicrng.

A further object is to so produce forms in continuous web fashion, as to assure proper and trouble-free operation of the machines in which the forms are used.

These and other objects are attained by the means described herein and illustrated upon the accompanying drawings,'in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary side elevational view of a punch machine and a perforator embodying the improvement of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a typical web punched and cross-perforated by the apparatus of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a detail view of part of a web stabilizer applied to the crossaperforator, and shown in vertical crosssection.

In the drawing, A indicates a punching machine operative upon a continuously advancing web W of paper or other flexible material, which upon leaving the punching machine, enters a cross-perforating machine indicated generally at B. A typical web is indicated upon FIG. 2, and will be seen to have parallel side edges 6 and 8 either or both of which may be marginally punched to produce a line of holes 10 equally spaced apart along the length of the web. At locations 12 are indicated lines of cross-perforations formed transversely of the web, and along which the web may eventually be severed or folded to produce individual sheets or forms of a length determined by the distance between successive lines of crossperforations.

As was mentioned previously herein, vital importance is attached to the accuracy of placement of the punch holes in relation to the lines of perforations 12. That is, the lines of perforations 12 applied by machine B must exactly bisect the space between adjacent punch holes 10 applied by machine A, so that folding of one web section upon the next will result in exact registry of their respective punch holes, the fold being made along one of the lines 12.

In the transfer of the continuously advancing web W from machine A to machine B, it has been impractical to use the punch holes 10 in any effort to maintain the web in synchronization with the cutters of both machines, so as to achieve and maintain the required exacting placement of lines 12 between successive punch holes 10. Accordingly, placement of said lines 12 by machine B has always posed the delicate problem of maintaining an exacting web advancement between the punch roll 14 of machine A and the line perforating roll or rolls 16 of machine B. The problem is aggravated by the imposition of severe shock upon the gears of the driving train 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 30 and 32, resulting from repeated impact of the perforator knives 34 and 36 upon the smooth and hard anvil cylinder 38 as the perforating machine operates.

It has been determined that the shock of impact of knives 34 and 36 upon cylinders 38, as the knives penetrate the web at 12, induces wear and backlash in the gearing 18 to 32 which in turn causes loss of synchronism between the knives and the web, with resultant inaccurate placement of the perforation lines 12 between adjacent punch holes 10. The remedy heretofore has been to shut down the machine and install new gears. Even with the installation of new gears, slight defects or inaccuracies therein have been known to adversely affect synchronization to the extent of producing rejectable finished webs.

One of the objectives of the present invention is to provide means to overcome the aforesaid injurious effects of shock occurring at the perforator rolls of the perforator machine. It may be noted that Web W is subjected to the punch operation performed by punch. roll 14 and die roll 40, to form along an edge of the web a line of marginal holes such as 10. The hole punching operation is performed while the web is in motion at high speed, and close observation indicates that no appreciable or objectionable shock or vibration occurs at this stage of the operation.

The web passes from the punch and die rolls to a closely adjacent gripper drive roll 42, which is driven by gearing 44. Gripper drive roll 42 rotates in conjunction with a rotary pinch roll 46, to firmly grip and positively advance the web at uniform predetermined web speed, causing the web to advance with extreme uniformity and with resultant great accuracy in location of punch holes 10. Pinch roll 46 may be supported upon an adjustable bracket 48, and may be resiliently urged toward gripper roll 42 and against the web passing therebetween. From the gripper mechanism constituted of rolls 42 and 46, the web may pass under a guide roll 50 which may be an idler arranged to direct the moving web to the line-perforating machine B.

As was briefly mentioned previously, the web upon entering the line-perforating machine, passes about the hardened smooth anvil roll 38 which supports it while the perforating elements or knives 34 and 36 act to perform the line-perforating operation thereon. The number of knives or perforating elements employed, and the number of driven rolls used to carry such elements, may vary in accordance with the nature and extent to which the web requires perforating. In the instant disclosure, by way of example but not of necessity, two perforating rolls 1616 are employed, each carrying a pair of perforating knives or elements identified at 3434 and 36-36. A third roll 52 driven by gears 18 and 54 may or may not carry perforating elements, or it may, if desired, carry some other form of implement to make or otherwise operate upon the web.

The character 56 indicates a gear box having an output shaft 58 to which is fixed the first gear 28 of the train which drives the rolls 38, 16, 16 and 52. The input shaft 60 of the gear box may be coupled at 62 to a main drive shaft 64 suitably powered and extending from the punching machine A. A handwheel 66 on the main shaft may be used when the main shaft is not under power, to manually move the machine elements for purposes of adjustment or inspection. At the left of FIG. 1 is shown a gear box 68 carrying a drive gear 70 the teeth of which mesh with a gear 72 fixed on the shaft of die roll 40, for driving the latter. The teeth of gear 72 mesh with those of a gear 74 fixed upon the shaft of punch roll 14, so that the punch and die rolls are rotated in opposite directions but at a common rate of speed, as will be understood.

At the upper portion of FIG. 1, is shown a pinch roll 76, which may be similar to that at 46, adapted to bear firmly against the web at a point where the web is supported by the face of roll 38. Roll 76 may be an idler, and is by preference mounted for rotation upon a bracket 78 which holds the roll against the web in advance of the perforator rolls. A guide roll 80 may be located in advance of roll 38, as shown.

Roll '76 performs as a gripper roll which functions to tie the web to the anvil cylinder 38. Because of the impact of perforating elements 34 upon cylinder 38, said cylinder is subject to vibration and uneven rotation which are transmitted to the web and to roll 76, causing the web to vibrate and shake as it travels at high speed through the perforating machine. Such erratic behavior of the web induces a gradual departure from the desired synchronization between the web, the punching elements of machine A, and the perforating elements of machine B, resulting finally in a rejectable web having its line-perforations 12 dislocated with respect to the punch holes 10.

To overcome the depreciating effect of the vibrations upon the synchronization of the web and the punching and line-perforating elements, a damper or stablizer apparatus is interposed between the hole punching and lineperforating elements in position to act upon and control the web. Such apparatus may comprise a pair of spaced parallel idling dancer rolls 82 and 84, each of a length approximating the width of the web, and about which the web is trained to drive the rolls in opposite directions of rotation. One dancer roll 82 is bodily shiftable relative to the other in parallelism therewith.

Mounting means for the dancer rolls may comprise a pair of spaced parallel shafts 86 and 88 upon which the rolls are freely rotatable. Shaft 88 may be considered a rock shaft having opposite ends journalled for slight rocking movement relative to the sides of the perforating machine frame. A bell crank comprising arms 90 and 92 is fulcrumed about shaft 88 where the arms converge, and dancer roll shaft 86 is mounted at the free end of arm 90. From the foregoing it is understood that any rocking movement of shaft 88 results in bodily swinging of dancer roll 82 along an arc whose center is at rock shaft 88.

Bell crank arm 92 has a swinging end 94 which may be held yieldingly in restraint by suitable resilient cushioning means, for example, a pair of opposed compression springs 96-96 acting upon opposite faces of the arm. The springs may be supported by a block 98 fixed relative to the machine frame at 1001tl0.

In the example illustrated, the block has a longitudinal bore interrupted by a space or notch 102 formed in the block, to provide a pair of aligned sockets 104 and 106 each receptive of a spring 96. Socket 104 may carry an end plug or abutment 108 to back up the spring supported in said socket. The second spring, supported in bore section 106, may abut the inner end 110 of an adjusting screw 112 threaded within the bore at 114. By manipulating the adjusting screw, the force of springs 9696 against opposite faces of the cushioning arm 92 may be varied to control oscillating movements of the dancer roll 82 produced by vibration of the web trained thereon.

As the cross-perforating machine operates, vibrations of the web emanating from the shock of impact of the perforating knives upon anvil cylinder 38, are transmitted by the web to the dancer rolls 82 and 84 of the damper or stabilizer apparatus. The vibrations upon being translated through cushioning arm 92 are absorbed by the cushioning elements or springs 9696, and are thereby precluded from reaching the gripper and punch rolls of the punching machine A by way of the web section which bridges the machines A and B. As the result, loss of synchronism of the web with the punching and cross-perforating mechanisms is eliminated.

The action of the stabilizer becomes more effective as the shock load in the gears is developing greater back lash, and as a result, the useful life of the gears of the train is greatly extended, so that the perforating machine may remain in continuous service for substantial periods of time without the customary shut-downs for repairs or replacements of parts.

As web W leaves the anvil cylinder 38 of the crossperforating machine B, it may pass on to another station or machine that may perform a folding operation or a rewinding operation upon the web. Throughout the punching and cross-perforating operation herein explained, the web advances continuously at a uniform rate, and usually at high speed. With application of the present invention, the production rate is markedly increased, and rejects are reduced to a practical minimum.

It is to be understood that various modifications and changes in the structural details of the device may be made, within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of the invention. In this connection, it will be noted that the invention is useful in precluding the transmission of vibrations through any type of continuously moving web which is subjected to various types of operations, some of which operations are free of shock loads and vibrations and others of which are characterized by shock loads and vibrations.

What is claimed is:

1. The method of maintaining a state of synchronism between a web punching device, a web cross-perforating device embodying a perforating knife and a cooperating anvil, and a continuously moving web fed from one such device to the other, said method comprising the continuous application of yielding force upon the web intermediate said devices to absorb web vibrations generated incident to engagement of the perforating knife against the anvil and prevent transfer of such vibrations from one such device to the other.

2. The method of maintaining a state of synchronism between a web punching device, a web cross-perforating device embodying a perforating knife and a cooperating anvil, and a continuously moving web passing from one device to the other, said method comprising the continuous application of a yielding force to and across one face of the web at a location intermediate the punching device and the cross-perforating device to absorb web vibrations generated incident to engagement of the perforating knife against the anvil and prevent transfer of such vibrations from one such device to the other.

3. The method of precluding the transmission of vibrations through a continuously moving web which is subjected to operations free of shock loads and vibrations and to other operations characterized by shock loads and vibrations, said method comprising the application of a continuous yielding force upon the web at a location intermediate said operations to absorb the vibrations imparted to said web incident to its being subjected to the operations characterized by shock loads and vibrations and to prevent transfer of such vibrations along the web to the operations free of shock loads and vibrations.

4. In combination, a machine including means to punch a line of holes marginally of an edge of a continuously moving web, a machine receptive of said punched web and including means for cross-perforating the web transversely of the line of punched holes with said cross-perforations bearing a predetermined relationship to the holes, and means intermediate the punching and crossperforating means, comprising a pair of relatively closely spaced, parallel rotatable elements having the web passing over one element and under the other element, means supporting said other element for movement relative to the web, and means constantly yieldingly urging said other element to a predetermined position for imposing yielding tension upon the web in aid of maintaining a state of synchronization between the web, the punching means, and the cross-perforating means.

5. The combination as set forth in claim 4, wherein the tension imposing means is adjustable to vary the force imposed thereby upon the web.

6. A cross-perforating machine operable upon a web continuously fed at high speed from a source of supply, said machine comprising a frame, a driven rotary anvil cylinder supported by the frame and upon which the web is trained, a perforating roll including a cross perforating knife, said roll being rotatable in timed relationship with rotation of the cylinder, to periodically project the knife onto the anvil cylinder and through the web supported thereon for cross-perforating the web while moving, a power driven main gear on the frame, and a train of intermeshing gears transferring rotation from said main gear to the anvil cylinder and the perforating roll, and web stabilizer means on the frame in advance of the anvil cylinder, comprising a pair of relatively closely spaced, parallel rotatable rollers adapted to have the web pass over one and beneath the other, a pivoted arm supporting one of said rollers for swinging in a path concentric with the other one of the pair of rollers, a cushioning crank arm extending from the pivoted arm for swinging with the latter, and opposing resilient means connected with and disposed on opposite sides of said cushioning crank arm, said resilient means constantly yieldingly pressing said one of the pair of rollers against a face of the web for maintaining a taut condition of the web and absorbing the vibrations imparted thereto by the shock of impact of the perforating knife upon the anvil cylinder.

7. In combination, a machine including means for punching a line of holes marginally of an edge of a continuously moving web, a cross-perforating machine receptive of the punched continuously moving web and comprising a frame, a driven rotary anvil cylinder supported by the frame and upon which the web is trained, a perforating roll including a cross-perforating knife, said roll being rotatable in timed relationship with rotation of the cylinder to successively project the knife onto the anvil cylinder and through the web supported thereon for crossperforating the web in predetermined relationship to the punched holes of the web, a power source, and means for transmilting motion from the power source to the anvil cylinder and the perforating roll, and stabilizer means for maintaining said predetermined relationship of the cross perforations to the punched holes of the web, comprising a roll element, an arm supporting and positioning said roll element against a face of the web intermediate the cross-perforating roll of the perforating machine and the punching means of the punch machine, said arm being pivotally supported to swing on an axis: extending across the width of the web, a cushioning crank arm extending from said roll supporting arm, a pair of cushioning springs, means for supporting said springs in end aligned operative position, and said cushioning crank arm being interposed between said springs at a location remote from 'the roll supporting arm for constantly yieldingly urging said arm supported roll against the web whereby said cushioning springs absorb from the web the shocks transmitted thereto by the perforating roll as the knife of said perforating roll strikes the anvil cylinder.

8. The combination as set forth in claim 7, which includes a first driven gripper drive for the web intermediately after it leaves said punching means, and a second driven gripper drive for tieing the web to the rotary anvil cylinder of said cross-perforating machine.

9. In combination, a machine including means for punching holes in a web moving continuously, a crossperforating machine receptive of the punched continuously moving web and comprising a frame, a driven rotary anvil cylinder supported by the frame and upon which the web is trained, a perforating roll including a crossperforator knife, said roll being rotatable in timed relationship with rotation of the cylinder, to successively project the knife onto the anvil cylinder and through the web supported thereon for cross-perforating the web in predetermined relationship to the punched holes of the web, a power source, means transmitting motion from the power source to the anvil cylinder and the perforator roll, and stabilizer means operative upon the moving web at a location intermediate the anvil cylinder and the hole punching means of the machines aforesaid, for maintaining the aforesaid predetermined relationship of the crossperforations to the punched holes of the web, said stabilizer means comprising a shaft supported on said frame to extend across the width of the web, roller means rotata-bly supported on said shaft to engage an under face of the web, a bell-crank supported on said shaft and including a short arm having a free end and a long arm, a shaft mounted upon the free end of said short arm to extend across an upper side of the web, roller means carried by the second mentioned shaft to engage the upper side of the web, and a resilient cushioning means for yieldingly maintaining the bell-crank in a position of restraint, comprising a block body fixed relative to the machine frame and having a cut-out area or notch in which a part of said long arm is positioned for limited swinging movement, and opposed springs carried by said block body at opposite sides of said notch and engaging against opposite sides of the said part of said long arm and constantly yieldingly opposing movement of said arm part in the notch.

10. The device as set forth in claim 9, wherein the motion transmitting means for driving the anvil cylinder and the perforator roll, includes a train of intermeshing gears subject to back-lash coincidental with impact of the perforator knife upon the anvil cylinder.

11. The invention according to claim 9, wherein said block has aligned bores therein opening at opposing inner ends into said notch at the said opposite sides of the latter, each of said bores having a spring positioned therein, one of said bores having a closed outer end and the other bore having its outer end open, and spring tensioning means comprising an adjusting screw threadably extended into the said other here through the open outer end thereof and bearing against the adjacent end of the adjacent spring.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS (Other references on following page) 7 UNITED STATES PATENTS Schulz 83-14 Hardrnan 83-408 Richard 83-367 Valtat 83-14 Barth 83-446 Kohler 242-75 Baumrucker 242-75 Weisshuhn 83-408 2,787,463 4/1957 Huck 271-213 2,931,962 4/1960 Huck 318-6 FOREIGN PATENTS 373,189 5/1932 Great Britain.

ANDREW R. J UHASZ, Primary Examiner.

CARL W. TOMLIN, EDWARD C. ALLEN, Examiners.

WILLIAM W. DYER, JR., Assistant Examiner. 

1. THE METHOD OF MAINTAINING A STATE OF SYNCHRONISM BETWEEN A WEB PUNCHING DEVICE, A WEB CROSS-PERFORATING DEVICE EMBODYING A PERFORATING KNIFE AND A COOPERATING ANVIL, AND A CONTINUOUSLY MOVING WEB FED FROM ONE SUCH DEVICE TO THE OTHER, SAID METHOD COMPRISING THE CONTINUOUS APPLICATION OF YIELDING FORCE UPON THE WEB INTERMEDIATE SAID DEVICES TO ABSORB WEB VIBRATIONS GENERATED INCIDENT TO ENGAGEMENT OF THE PERFORATING KNIFE AGAINST THE ANVIL AND PREVENT TRANSFER OF SUCH VIBRATIONS FROM ONE SUCH DEVICE TO THE OTHER. 